2025 Star Women in Convenience Awards celebrate women leaders who are driving change

Melani Melnyk, C&G lead with Mondelez Canada, one of the event's Gold Sponsors, spoke about why it mattered to have a Star Women in Convenience Award.

“In recent years, we've seen women increase their representation across the industry from the C-suite to VP roles, to leaders running large divisions and our largest chains,” she said. “Here's why that matters. Recognition isn't ‘nice’ to have. It's a business lever. It attracts and retains top talent. It signals to investors, partners and customers what kind of industry we intend to be, and it gives the next generation permission to see themselves at the table, and at the head of the table. At Mondelez, we take that responsibility seriously. We invest in inclusive leadership, equitable development, and sponsorship because performance thrives when people belong. Our goal is simple. Create a workplace where everyone can do the best work of their career and be recognized for it.”

The keynote this year was given by Elaine McKay, corporate affairs leader with JTI-MacDonald Canada, who spoke her history in southern African, growing up in the kingdom of Swaziland, “the fourth of five children. My father was the principal of a mission school and my mother, a stay-at-home mom.”

“My parents had big dreams for their children,” she continued. “Dreams of an education as a means to liberate a rural child. Their dreams were matched only by their faith that God would provide the means to fund that education. When it looked like one of us didn't want to go to university or college, my parents threatened that we would never get their blessing for marriage.”

That seemed to have worked as McKay soon studied economics at one of South Africa’s best universities and later psychology, and then earned a Master’s degree overseas. When she returned to South Africa, she found a country suffering under the AIDS crisis.

“One in three women were infected and they only found out that they had HIV when they went for a test,” she said. “Around 4 million people in South Africa were infected at the time. Stigma and discrimination were rife and the silence around the disease was responsible for death and destruction. I led a campaign to encourage people to test. I used Nelson Mandela's name to raise money for testing and treatment. The science was clear. HIV is not a death sentence. Silence fueled the rate of increase and the burden of care and infection fell on women.”

From there, she continued to work for others, often putting her own needs behind those of others who she felt needed her support and help, be they those whom she worked with or even family. Shortly before giving birth to her first child, and still thinking of others, Nelson Mandela pulled her aside and said to her words that still resonate with her: “My child stopped trying to change the world.Change the world for one person, just one every day. Even if some days you choose yourself, leave the place better than you found it.”

Those words helped her through the many travails she went through in later life and her career, family tragedies, losses, a serious illness that struck her husband while the Covid crisis restricted people’s movements, raising her son and daughter and holding a career that often sent her to many different countries, and now Canada.

“The values instilled in childhood are refined in times of stress and distress,” she said. “A fundamental belief in your ability to break generational cycles of poverty, trauma and pain. A foundation of faith and belief in something greater than yourself will be the glue that holds you together. When you feel like you are falling apart, find a workplace that aligns with your values. Find your purpose. Even if at the beginning that purpose is you. Angela Bassett said it best: ‘There will be times when you seemingly face insurmountable obstacles, but that's when you dig deep into your soul for the courage and the fortitude to keep going and to never, never forget that despite life's detours, you are destined for greatness.’”

Jamie Thompson, CEO of Adapt Media spoke of the important role women play at his workplace, and said that what he has found most inspiring is how the women at the company have stepped up and forged key leadership roles for themselves and others. They are strong negotiators and have forged and sustained partnerships that allow Adapt media to grow. He thanked Amanda Newell, Adapt Media chief revenue officer who prepares for a meeting with a new client by “looking at their LinkedIn, their Facebook, everything. So be careful when you meet Amanda, she’s going to know everything about you. That is one of the things I love about her.”

Christine Kus, director of sales, small store with Coke Canada Bottling ended the presentations and panel discussions speaking about her new role and what it means to her.

“Kathy Smith, who has been with Coca-Cola for 27 years, congratulated me on the new role and for being the first woman at Coca-Cola to take a leadership role in the convenience and gas channel in Canada,” she said. “We hear a lot about firsts, the first female CEO to do this, the first female founder to do that, and now I guess I'm also a first. What's remarkable to me is how unremarkable it felt. There was no scandal or debate or question about whether I was qualified to take this job because of my gender. Something that I know can't be said for other first women before me. Being unremarkable to me is evidence of the progress that has been made both at Coca-Cola and in the convenience and gas industry itself. I feel privileged to be working at a time when we aren't celebrating that women accomplished things, but rather celebrating standout women in a pool of colleagues who are making meaningful contributions day in and day out. I want to thank everyone in this room, and specifically Convenience Store News Canada and the Star Women in Convenience Awards for giving us this opportunity to celebrate the progress that we've made.”